Other

University of Victoria

R. and O. Ore Processing Ltd.

Monsanto Company

Envirochip Technologies Ltd.

R & O Mining Processing Ltd.

Robert N O'Brien

Martin B Hocking

Kenneth R Thornton

Kalathur S Santhanam

Philip M McOrmond

Robert E Jansson

Ernest Peters

Thomas D McEwan

Somyong Visaisouk

A water-free process for converting initially non-larvicidal evaporation suppressant powder into a larvicidal variant possessing utility both for abatement of use by mosquitoes of an open water catchment as a successful breeding site, and for conserving water by suppressing the evaporation of water from the same catchment. Lauryl alcohol is used as a blending agent to facilitate even distribution of mosquito-specific entomopathogens, eg., spores ofvarietyor, into the initially non-larvicidal evaporation suppressant powder. Cetyl alcohol and/or stearyl alcohol are the preferred monolayer-formers upon which effective evaporation suppression relies. For a variant larvicidal powder that lacks an effective evaporation suppression property, the same preferred monolayer-formers may be omitted from a blend of mosquito-specific pathogens, lauryl alcohol, and hydrated lime or, alternatively, acidified gypsum.

Process for making larvicidal evaporation suppressant powder

A tank-type water electrolysis apparatus with unipolar electrodes arrangement and wherein imposed magnetic fields enhance electrolyte solution circulation, further enhanced in apparatus operation by use of immersed electrets providing partitioning structure between seperated hydrogen bubbles-producing and oxygen bubbles-producing regions in the solution. The included immersed electrets, which may be of polytetrafluoroethylene or other suitable material, perform the functions of attracting bubbles away from points of origination at the electrodes, and of promoting coelescence of smaller bubbles into larger ones of greater buoyancy.

Gas-collecting electrets as magneto-electrolysis cell components

A process for manufacturing a liquid evaporation retardant product that combines isopropanol-water azeotrope with up to 5% octadecanol by weight of the total solution, and upon which improved capability to remain precipitate free in the event of colder temperatures than normal is conferred by adding n-butanol at 10% by weight of the pre-made basic product.

Process for making a liquid evaporation retardant solution

A method for rapidly charging an electrically rechargeable battery or batteries string by a series of charging pulses, interspersed with battery discharge pulses effective to eliminate undesired concentration polarization by substantially thinning or dispelling electrical double layers and diffusion layers at electrodes contacted by an aqueous electrolyte solution. In contrast to related schemes which intermittently discharge a limited portion of battery charge to a load comprising components featuring significant resistance and/or inductance, in this case supercapacitors receive the reversedly pulsed depolarizing discharge.

Battery charging method using supercapacitors at two stages

A magnetization method and apparatus is described as utilizing a pair of mechanically counter-vibrated permanent magnets having mutually facing unlike magnetic poles, and wherein a ferromagnetic article, or article containing ferromagnetic elements in close-set array, is placed for subjection to pulsed magnetizing flux between the pair of counter-vibrated magnets. Uses of the invention include making magnets and modifying the current drain property of a multi-plate nickel-metal hydride battery.

Mechanically pulsed magnetization kit

Parent disclosure, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,303,133 B1, taught a calcium hydroxide containing evaporation retardant having particles that mutually repel one another because of water-induced ionization. Calcium hydroxide makes the retardant unsuitable for treating overly alkaline agricultural soil, and to substitute plain calcium sulfate for calcium hydroxide would degrade the particle repulsion effect. Substitutable acidified gypsum is made by absorbing about 5 milliliters sulfuric acid per 300 grams calcium sulfate. Blending unemulsified detergent range alcohol in a parts by weight ratio of about one-to-ten with the acidified gypsum produces a soil treatment product for suppressing evaporation of water from treated soil without impairing water infiltration into the same soil.

Composition for reducing evaporation at sites both on land and open water

Supercapacitor modification of utility in electric vehicle powering, and directed to optimizing specific capacitance and rate capability by promoting ionic motions in electrolyte during charging and discharging, by means of a high coercivity faces-poled sheet or plate magnet comprising a magnetized metal backing part adjacent the back of a composite porous supercapacitor electrode, ie., at the side away from the region of bulk electrolyte access to pores. A portion of casing of this magnetically enhanced supercapacitor may integrate the plate magnet or the latter may be a separate component applied or fitted to the casing, removably, if desired, to facilitate possible re-magnetization. Except for the magnetized metal backing part and addition of a paramagnetic substance to the electrolyte, all the essential components are known in supercapacitors.

Supercapacitor with magnetized parts

Prior research into methane storage as a solute gas dissolved in special blended hydrocarbon liquids, and recent developments in use of supercritical fluids as solvent replacements, disposed the inventor to create a novel form of hydrogen packaging by dissolution in a specially blended solvent maintained at specified temperature and pressure conditions at which intermolecular attractions and related critical region phenomena permit storing nine times as much dissolved hydrogen in a given volume than pure hydrogen at the same conditions. The solvent constituents selected are ethane and hexane respectively in a nine-to-one parts by weight ratio, and the solution is prepared and intended to be maintained in its packaged state at room temperature and from twenty to fifty atmospheres of pressure. The solution may be combusted in toto as a fuel, or, if desired, known means for separation of hydrogen may be applied so as to deliver pure hydrogen to a fuel cell.

Room temperature hydrogen packaging using a solvent

The invention pertains to enhancing the dispersion on the surface of a still or moving body of a polar liquid, such as water, of particles of a powder of the composition essentially comprising a monolayer-forming constituent, such as hexadecanol or octadecanol or a blend thereof, together with a high proportion of a soluble or sparingly soluble alkaline earth metal hydroxide, more particularly about five times the monolayer-forming constituent's weight when the hydroxide constituent is&mdash;as preferred for potable water evaporation reduction&mdash;calcium hydroxide procured as inexpensive pre-powdered agricultural hydrated lime. A melt-processing manner of producing the composition is described. When particles of the composition contact the body of water, so long as lime remains present in any floating particles, they will be individually positively charged, resulting in their repulsion from one another. This enhanced dispersal effect is due to the ionization of the calcium hydroxide.

Film-spreading powder for suppressing water evaporation

Methods for concentrating nitric acid in aqueous solution are known wherein reduction of some nitric acid initially present in the solution oxidizes nitric oxide obtained for example from exhaust vapors of heterogneously catalytically combusted ammonia, but gas effluence and solution dilution associated with such methods have necessitated recirculation piping to convey fluids of varying content to and fro between separated reactor units adapted to conduct different sub-reactions subsumed under an overall process which is inherently unworkable in batch mode operations. Herein the invention features joint execution of all necessary reactions in a single reactive solution body, and resorts to a liquid phase homogeneous catalysis involving nitrate and/or nitrosyl ions, in a process which is effective whether in continuous or batch processing. Problems with low gas solubilities and diffusivities are resolved when a high enough Hatta Number is attained due to fast free radical-ion reactions in the vicinity of gas-liquid interfaces provided by gas-filled bubbles. Reaction control means include varying the proportion and/or concentration of sulfuric acid blended with nitric acid to constitute a catalytic solution.

Method of nitric acid formation using a catalytic solution

Battery modification directed to problem of reduced withdrawable current capacity of transiently highly-loaded discharging batteries. Prior art batteries reviewed are: two which enhance galvanic reaction during discharge by circulating low-viscosity electrolyte around magnets spaced between electrodes; and one using magnetic material at negative electrodes to limit dendrite formation during battery charging, whether the electrolyte is a liquid solution or solidified by gelling. The present invention is a current collector preferably comprising a magnetized sheet of foamed nickel having North and South poles on opposite faces, and folded about a small coercivity mumetal insert, installing such an assembly as the current collector of any two-sided type plate electrode. A variety of embodiments is disclosed, as are various arrangements combining more than one type embodiment per battery.

Magnetized current collectors combined with magnetic shielding means

A process for producing in liquid phase, concentrated sulfuric acid in the liquid phase from a source of sulfur dioxide, is described. The process comprises, converting the source of sulfur dioxide to sulfuric acid. The liquid phase, comprises:

Liquid phase conversion of a source of sulfur dioxide to sulfuric acid

A hydrometallurgical process for converting zinc sulfide in an ore containing zinc sulfide, said zinc sulfide being chemically converted at elevated temperatures to ZnSO.sub.4.xH.sub.2 O which crystallizes substantially in the monohydrate formas ZnSO.sub.4.H.sub.2 O in a conversion solution having a high concentration of H.sub.2 S.sub.4. The process comprises: i) contacting the zinc sulfide of the ore with the conversion solution which comprises a concentration of sulfuric acid selected from the range of about 45% by weight up to about 70% by weight of the conversion solution and at the elevated temperature in the range of 90.degree. C. to less than boiling point of the conversion solution for the selected concentration of sulfuric acid; ii) maintaining the conversion solution at the elevated temperature and at the range of concentration of the sulfuric acid to ensure continued formation of the crystals of ZnSO.sub.4.H.sub.2 O until substantially all available ZnS is chemically converted; and iii) separating the ZnSO.sub.4.H.sub.2 O crystals and remaining solids of the ore from the conversion solution.

Preferential hydrometallurgical conversion of zinc sulfide to sulfate

Process for the recovery of sulfur from a feed stock

A continuous hydrometallurgical process for conversion of ore derived copper and zinc sulfides into recoverable water soluble sulfates is provided. The process comprises:

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Victoria, Canada

Robert N O'Brien